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Narro is a creative visualization space built to explore unique datasets, topics, questions and ideas.

WNBA Season Triangle

Visualizing paths through WNBA seasons.

After taking a bird's eye view of WNBA team histories in a previous article, I wanted to dive deeper into the unique paths of individual seasons. Two teams can end a season 17-17, but arrive there in very different ways. To help visualize these season paths, I created the WNBA Season Triangle. In basketball's history, the triangle holds a lofty place, and I hope this graph is a fun way to explore that history. Scroll below to learn more!


On the Season Triangle, the y-axis shows a team's number of wins and the x-axis shows a team's number of losses.

Each gray square is the location of a unique, regular season Win - Loss record.


In the WNBA, a perfect season would end up 34-0. The season path of perfection would take no detours, starting at 0-0, going all the way up the green line to the top left.


Although no team has had a perfect regular season, the 2014 Phoenix Mercury came shockingly close, finishing at 29-5.


The most "average" record in a full WNBA season is 17-17. If a team alternated wins and losses every single game, they'd travel along this yellow staircase of mediocrity.


Many teams over many years have ended up at 17-17. The team which most nearly walked the staircase of mediocrity, however, was the 2013 Washington Mystics.


And lastly, the worst possible outcome for a season would be an unthinkable 0-34. With no interruptions, this rough streak would follow the red line to its very end.


Unfortunately, the worst single-season winning percentage in WNBA history stands at a rough .088. The 2011 Tulsa Shock finished the year 3-31, setting the record for most losses in a 34-game season.

Every Season Path

Using the Season Triangle graph, I plotted every season path of every WNBA team. Below, you can type in your favorite team, click on each decade, and hover over the lines to see the particular win-loss records. For some of the most legendary decades, check out the 1990s Houston Comets (RIP), 2000s Los Angeles Sparks and 2010s Minnesota Lynx.